The Elephant on Campus

The College Republicans is a new club on campus that aims to bridge the gap between politicians and college students. The club, which was approved by the Office of Student Activities during Spring 2014, is designed for college students who identify with the political platforms of the Republican Party.

Although the president of the club, Jacob Schmotzer, a sophomore English and Secondary Education major, does not have any political aspirations, he still believes this club can be beneficial to him and his peers. “The club was started for several reasons: one, to give Republicans our age a chance to meet one another; [and] two, to help Republicans our age have their voices heard,” Schmotzer said.

The club’s first meeting was held on Sept. 10, in Hillwood Commons room 106 during common hour. Eight people attended the first meeting, which began with the members introducing themselves to each other before the guest speaker, Grant Lally, arrived.

Lally is the managing partner of Lally & Misir, LLP. He has decades of experience in politics, and is currently running for U.S. Congress in New York’s Third Congressional District. Lally told the club members about some of his trials and tribulations while working for President Bush, such as his experiences as Bush’s manager during the critical Miami, Florida Recount. He also wrote President Bush’s foreign policy towards Ireland, when he kept the Irish Peace Process on top of the U.S. Foreign Policy.

According to grantlallyforcongress.com, “Grant has appeared before the United States Supreme Court – the only lawyer from
New York State – to oppose Obamacare.” This case is known as the Obamacare case.

Wolf German, a senior Sociology major, believed that the speaker “definitely brought momentum to the [club’s first] meeting.” German stressed that the club needed to make an impact on campus. “We want to help build up motivation and get the word out on campus to have a strong club.”

Schmotzer discussed his plans for the College Republicans. “We hope to hold various informative events such as debates, discussions, and speeches by elected officials in the Republican Party,” he said. “Of course, there’s always room for less formal events, as well. We’re hoping to host a party on election night. We’ll have to see where this semester takes us. We’re open to any ideas our members may have.”

“I’m a Republican,” Schmotzer said, “because I do not believe big government is the solution: rather, it’s the problem. I believe in supply- side economics, states’ rights, lower taxes, lower spending levels, and self-sufficiency,” he added.

The club’s next meeting is on Sept. 17 during common hour. As of right now, there is not a Democratic club at Post, nor any other political club.